Julian Tavarez

Back in 2001, Cubs reliever Julian Tavarez used profanity and a derogatory term about gays in comments about fans in San Francisco after a loss. The team hit him with a five-figure fine and had him undergo sensitivity training. MLB officials say they were satisfied with the team's discipline and took no additional action. "Mr. Tavarez embarrassed himself, his team and the game of baseball," Commissioner Bud Selig said at the time in a statement. "There is no excuse for such language and there is no place...

Back in 2001, Cubs reliever Julian Tavarez used profanity and a derogatory term about gays in comments about fans in San Francisco after a loss. The team hit him with a five-figure fine and had him undergo sensitivity training. MLB officials say they were satisfied with the team's discipline and took no additional action. "Mr. Tavarez embarrassed himself, his team and the game of baseball," Commissioner Bud Selig said at the time in a statement. "There is no excuse for such language and there is no place...

Julian Tavarez and the Red Sox reached a preliminary agreement Wednesday on a $6.7 million, two-year contract as Boston added another newcomer to its rebuilt bullpen. The reliever must pass a physical for the deal to be finalized, a person familiar with the negotiations said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The physical is likely to take place Thursday. Tavarez, a 32-year-old right-hander, gets a $500,000 signing bonus and salaries of $3.1 million in each of the next two...

Julian Tavarez, just one month out of Class A, pitched seven strong innings for Cleveland. Tavarez (2-1) settled down after John Valentin's RBI double in the second and allowed two hits in the next five innings. The Indians went ahead 3-1 in the fifth on Glenallen Hill's run-scoring single and Wayne Kirby's two-run double off Paul Quantrill (5-7).

Is there bad blood brewing--again--between the Cubs and Cardinals? Maybe, after Julian Tavarez drilled pinch-hitter Nomar Garciaparra in the eighth inning of Friday's 4-1 victory, especially if the Cubs think it was on purpose. "I would like to assume [it slipped]," said Cubs manager Dusty Baker, Tavarez's former manager in San Francisco. "In a game like that, I doubt he would hit anyone on purpose." "He's a different guy," Aramis Ramirez said of Tavarez. "You never...

As a Cubs fan, I was disappointed by Julian Tavarez's subpar performance against the Giants last Saturday at Pac Bell Park. When I read about his remarks about Giant fans, I was saddened and embarrassed. I have had nothing but good experiences rooting for the Cubs in San Francisco alongside Giants fans. The fans were more than justified in giving Tavarez a hard time given his behavior on and off the field. I was booing Tavarez as loudly as anyone for letting his history with the Giants and their fans affect...

July is just around the corner, the time of year when Cubs general manager Jim Hendry's cell-phone battery is always in dire need of juicing. While a ballplayer's version of money time comes in October, GMs tend to show their true colors in July, when the trade deadline is approaching, the pennant races begin to heat up, the fans are desperate for a move or two and the first wave of expendable players goes on the market. Thanks to parity in the National League, the 38-36 Cubs find themselves...

Julian Tavarez and the Red Sox reached a preliminary agreement Wednesday on a $6.7 million, two-year contract as Boston added another newcomer to its rebuilt bullpen. The reliever must pass a physical for the deal to be finalized, a person familiar with the negotiations said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The physical is likely to take place Thursday. Tavarez, a 32-year-old right-hander, gets a $500,000 signing bonus and salaries of $3.1 million in each of the next two...

Roger Clemens went into Thursday's start not knowing if it would be the last of his illustrious career. If it was, he said he would have no regrets. "I'm not going to look in the rear-view mirror," Clemens said earlier this week. "If and when this is all done, I'll have a big smile on my face. I didn't leave anything behind, and I'm not going to be one of those guys [who wished they] could keep going." Clemens was on the mark for the first five innings, scattering three hits and...

Houston pitcher Brandon Backe, who subbed for the ailing Roger Clemens in the season finale and beat the Rockies, will start Wednesday night's Game 1 at Busch Stadium against St. Louis starter Woody Williams. For the Astros, Peter Munro gets the start in Game 2. That leaves Clemens and Roy Oswalt for Games 3 and 4, with Clemens capable of returning for a Game 7, if necessary. Matt Morris will go for the Cardinals in Game 2, with Jeff Suppan and Jason Marquis starting Games 3 and 4 in...

Julian Tavarez suffered a full-metal meltdown Sunday before a packed house at Minute Maid Park and a national TV audience. After giving up the go-ahead home run to Carlos Beltran in the seventh inning, Tavarez threw a wild pitch, then threw a 3-0 pitch behind the head of Jeff Bagwell, causing some angry words between the two. "I lost control after [the home run]," Tavarez said. "Albert [Pujols] tried to help me out so bad, saying, `Calm down, calm down.' I tried to calm down, step off the...